


Promises

by AoiTsuki1412



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-09-26 07:15:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9873032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AoiTsuki1412/pseuds/AoiTsuki1412
Summary: Haruka broke up with Rin without telling him any strong reason. He kept his secret to himself until the day he accidentally met Kisumi at the hospital.





	1. Chapter 1

"I'm going home first. Are you okay with walking alone ?", Makoto asked his childhood friend in concern. Somehow, his blue-eyed friend didn't seem to be in a good shape during their way home from Samezuka Academy.

"Yeah… I'm okay. See you later.", Haruka replied with his usual monotonic voice. As soon as Makoto went inside his house, he continued his way upstairs in a slow pace. Climbing the stairs somehow turned into something very difficult for him recently, especially when the pain in his abdomen starting to attack. 'Hurry up… I want to get into my bathtub already…', he thought, forcing his legs to move on. As he was getting near to his house, he could see that the lights in the living room were turned on.

'I locked all the doors and windows…', he thought, staring at the house questionably.

There weren't many people that crossed his mind since not many have the key to the house. The first guess that came into his mind was his parents coming home but that seemed impossible since they didn't tell him anything about it. 'Then… Kisumi…', he thought again, making his second guess. Rin was out of his list since he had stopped coming after their break up. Besides, he just saw him in Samezuka with the others – there was no way he could reach his house faster. Thieves and robbers were certainly out of his guess since the lights were all on. Without thinking any longer, he slide opened the unlocked door, only to be surprised by a certain peach-haired male's greeting.

"Welcome home, Haru~", Kisumi greeted cheerfully, wrapping his arms around the smaller male fondly.

"Oi… You're too clingy…", Haruka muttered, trying to push the basketball player away from him but he couldn't as his strength slipped away because of the increasing pain in his abdomen.

"Aw… Come on~ I missed you, Haru~", the peach-haired male finally released Haruka from his embrace, following the smaller male who was heading into the hallway.

"We just met in Samezuka.", Haruka coldly blurted his words.

"But you were playing back then… Not to mention, you shot me !", Kisumi pouted, still walking behind the swimmer's back.

"Who told you to be too close to my beloved ex-boyfriend ?", Haruka muttered then let out a sigh. "So what are you doing here ?"

"I'm hungry."

Haruka let out another heavy sigh upon hearing the taller male's words. "Fine. I'll cook."

Kisumi cheered happily as he heard the blue-eyed male's agreement to cook dinner for him – he just really loves the dishes prepared from Haruka. While Haruka took his time upstairs to change his clothes, Kisumi headed first to the kitchen excitedly, getting ready to be a help to the stoic-looking guy. He was the one who asked for food anyway, so at least he could help with something that even someone who can't cook could handle like preparing the ingredients or passing him the equipment needed to cook.

* * *

Haruka let himself collapse on the bed as soon as he reached the side of it. Slowly, he went into a fetal position, clenching hard on his abdomen that was still stinging in pain. 'I shouldn't have joined the cultural festival…', he thought, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. If he could, he wanted to take the painkiller and let himself fall into slumber but with Kisumi in his house, he couldn't do that – he didn't want him to worry more than he had always done. He smirked to himself, as he remembered the first time Kisumi barged into his life uninvited.

It was during one weekend, when he went to the hospital to get his painkiller supply from the doctor who was assigned to handle his case. It was supposed to be a short trip but he ended up meeting the peach-haired male by coincidence, which turned the trip to be quite a long one. He already got his painkiller, ready to be brought home and all that left was heading out of the cold building.

* * *

_"Eeh ? Haru ?", a familiar voice suddenly greeted from his back, causing the blue-eyed male to flinch a bit._

_'Damn… It's Kisumi…', Haruka thought, hesitating to face the peach-haired male. Of all people, why must Kisumi be the one who met him in such place ? Now that he thought about it, the one who first knew about Sousuke's shoulder was Kisumi too and the situation was the same. 'Why should he appear in such a wrong timing…'_

_"Haru~~", Kisumi whined as Haruka ignored him, walking towards the front door._

_"What is it ?"_

_"What are you doing here ?", Kisumi asked with a big smile._

_"Just having a health check…", Haruka replied lazily as he wasn't in mood to keep up with Kisumi's questions._

_Kisumi just hummed to the swimmer's answer, his eyes were busy eyeing the plastic bag in Haruka's grip, searching for the right timing to snatch it away. He knew that Haruka won't let him see the content even if he begged him for it, so the only way to get it was by force. As soon as he was sure that Haruka let his guard down, he snatched the plastic bag away from his grip, running out of the hospital playfully._

_"Kisumi !", Haruka shouted in an irritated tone while chasing after the taller male._

_"Aww… Come on~ I just wanna take a peek.", Kisumi said happily, grinning as he took out one of the bottles inside it. Gradually, his smile faded away as read the description on the bottle. 'Slow-release Morphine...?', he thought, wondering why Haruka got something like that for him. He took a glance at the other bottle and found out that there were stronger ones in it. 'He couldn't be…', he tried to deny the probabilities that was playing in his mind. He's not that smart but he knew quite a lot about medicines and drugs since his family runs a hospital. Stronger opiates mean that the pain is severe._

_"Oi… Give me that !", Haruka said as he took his things back._

_"Haru… Those bottles… Are they for you ?", he tried to ask, staring at the shorter male. Haruka kept quiet but Kisumi could see how tense he was as he heard the question. "Bingo, huh ?"_

_"It's not your business… I'm going home…", Haruka replied, walking away from the peach-haired male._

_Immediately, Kisumi grabbed his wrist, stopping him from walking away. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me everything."_

* * *

_Kisumi let out a heavy sigh as Haruka finished talking. Everything has become clear by that time – the reason why Haruka looked paler than usual, the reason why Haruka seemed to lose his weight recently and the most important thing was the reason why he decided to break up with Rin. He took a glance at the person who was sitting right beside him, observing the usually stoic male's eyes that were full of tears. It was his first time seeing Haruka cry and for the person named Haruka to break like that in front of him, he must've been enduring a lot of things alone all this time._

_"Haru…", Kisumi muttered, trying to get Haruka's attention. "Well... I know this isn't an appropriate thing to say right now, but let me be your boyfriend."_

_Haruka's sapphire orbs widen in disbelief as he heard his words but it didn't last long as Haruka turned into his stoic mode right away. "If you're saying that out of pity then you better forget it…"_

_"I'm not ! I've always have this crush on you since middle school...", Kisumi confessed._

_"Even so, I don't want to…"_

_"Haru. I'm not Rin. I don't have a dream that big. I already found my path and I'm heading towards it steadily. You don't have to worry about you being a hindrance for me."_

_"No."_

_"Haru, please… at least give me a chance."_

_Haruka turned his face away from Kisumi, not wanting to see that desperate eyes of the taller male. He didn't want to accept his love – he loves Rin and it won't change until the day he let out his last breath. Accepting Kisumi when he's in trouble didn't sound right at all. If Kisumi really loved him, then for him to accept his pure feelings was absolutely unfair. "I don't want to hurt you…", Haruka muttered._

_"You don't have to worry about that, Haru.", Kisumi said, his lips curved into a soft smile. "I know that you loved Rin so much. But I'm sure… that I could make you fall for me even if it's too late. Just let me in and you'll find yourself helplessly falling in love with this great Kisumi !"_

_Haruka couldn't help but blushed to Kisumi's words. "S-stop playing around…"_

_"Ahahaha~~ I'm not playing around, Haru~", Kisumi replied, giving a wink to the blue-eyed male. Haruka didn't give an immediate reply as his mind was trying to search for a right choice for him to do in this situation._

_"Only if... you could promise me something…", Haruka said, staring deep into Kisumi's purplish orbs. "If the day comes… when you have to see me dying right in front of you… I want you to smile…"_

_"Aww… Aren't you a sweet one ?", Kisumi said, hugging the smaller male tight. "But doesn't that sound like a curse for me ? I can't cry when I'm feeling sad of losing you."_

_"Like I care…", Haruka replied coldly._

* * *

'I should get going…', he thought as he snapped out of his memory, forcing his body to leave the bed.

Carefully, he walked out of the room, trying to keep his balance as he felt so light-headed that he could tumble down anytime. 'Try… to act normal…', he encouraged his inner self before walking downstairs like nothing happened. As soon as he arrived in the kitchen, Kisumi handed him the apron.

"Thanks…", he muttered, then went to the fridge to search for the ingredients he needed to use.

"You're welcome~ What are you gonna cook ?", Kisumi asked.

"Steak…"

Kisumi's purplish orbs widen as he heard Haruka's answer – he didn't know what he should feel with it. It is good that Haruka has started to eat more meat recently, but somewhere deep in Kisumi's heart he felt a bit worried. Haruka only eats meat on the days when he vomited out lots of his blood to compensate the iron loss in his body. 'Then… he must have vomited…', he thought, moving closer to the smaller male's back. Slowly, he wrapped his arms loosely around Haruka's waist, while resting his head on his shoulder, causing a flinch from the chef.

"Oi… Kisumi… I'm using the knife !", Haruka muttered in annoyance.

"You can continue… I'll support you from your back~", Kisumi replied, trying to stay cheerful.

"You're restricting my movements…", Haruka said, trying to get the other male away from him. He didn't get any response from him but he could feel that Kisumi is tense, both from his heartbeat and touch. Haruka put down the knife he was holding then touched the taller male's hands gently, rubbing against the bigger hands soothingly to let him ease up. "It's okay Kisumi. I chose steak tonight just because I missed Rin."

"Ha…?!", Kisumi shouted in disbelief. "You're a mean one, aren't you ? I -your boyfriend- requested for you to cook but you cook for Rin in your mind~~"

"Pfft… I guess so.", the blue-eyed male said, then let out a small laugh. As he felt Kisumi's arms leaving his waist, he started working with the knife again. "But I didn't even ask you to be my boyfriend back then."

"You're cruel~~", Kisumi whined again. Haruka's words are true and he couldn't deny it. It was him that chased after the blue-eyed male back then, right after he heard that the swimmer has already broken up with Rin.

"Yeah… That's me ! This cruel boyfriend of yours is going to cook for the both of us. So please stay out of the kitchen until I serve the food, okay ?", Haruka said, pushing the peach-haired male out of the kitchen. It wasn't like he didn't want Kisumi to help, but he prefers to do things on his own. No matter how hard it is, he wanted to do it alone so that he won't be a burden to anyone else. That was what he tried to do back then – undergoing his remaining life on his own but now that Kisumi has ruined his plan, he's going to make Kisumi pay for it.

* * *

"You're not going home ?", Haruka asked as he walked into the room in his short pants, hair still wet since he didn't properly dry them.

"Nope. I'm staying.", Kisumi said, staring at the swimmer intently.

Haruka just replied with his short 'Owh' then headed to his closet to choose a shirt to wear for the night. Silent and cautiously, Kisumi walked towards Haruka who was busy searching for the right shirt to wear and when he was close enough, he immediately hugged the smaller male tight in his arms, preventing him from getting away.

"Kisumi…", Haruka just sighed at the sudden act and he didn't fight. He was way too tired to argue with Kisumi – all he wanted to do was taking a very good sleep to forget his pain for a while. Haruka jolted a bit when Kisumi sucked on his nape, sending shivers under his skin. Since the first time Kisumi found out that weakness of him, the taller male would always attack that particular place when he let his guard down. "Kisumi… Sorry but I'm too tired today…", was the only thing he could say to stop the peach-haired male from continuing it any further.

Obediently, he stopped teasing the smaller male, bringing his hands to wrap Haruka's smaller hands gently. "It's hurting today too, right ?", Kisumi asked hesitantly – he knew that Haruka doesn't like it when he asks about that. Haruka didn't answer, but Kisumi could feel a weak nod coming from the smaller male that was leaning on his chest. He stood up from the floor carefully, lifting the lighter male in his arms then walked towards the bed. "I'll bring you the shirt.", Kisumi said as he put Haruka on the bed.

* * *

"Kisumi…", Haruka muttered in the dark. From the voice, Kisumi knew that the blue-eyed male is getting drowsy.

"Yes, honey ?", Kisumi said seriously, earning a small laugh from the other male.

"Quit playing around… It's late already…", Haruka whispered, his hands pinching Kisumi's arm hard.

"Okay, okay… What is it, Haru ?"

"Keep smiling for me… even after I'm gone…"

"I've promised that countless of time, Haru~", Kisumi whined as he heard Haruka's words.

Haruka could only smile to the reply as his consciousness started to slip away from him. He did felt guilty of having Kisumi as his boyfriend at first but he gradually turned to be so grateful of his presence by his side. Though Rin is still the one he loved the most, slowly but surely, Kisumi had come to make his own place in his heart – it was just like what Kisumi had said at the hospital back then. Somehow, the happy-go-lucky man named Kisumi has given him strength to face his remaining days with a positive mind. No matter how painful it is, he wanted to enjoy his life to the fullest, creating memories that he could treasure before he dies. He was glad that he made the right choice back then.

"Good night, Haru…", Kisumi whispered then kissed Haruka's forehead. "I love you…"


	2. Chapter 2

It was in the middle of night when a certain black-haired swimmer's phone started to ring. He was going to ignore the call again, but he ended up reaching his hand to grab the phone that was lying on the empty space beside him as the caller didn’t seem like stopping the call even though he had ignored it a few times already. Lazily, he took a look at the bright screen, eyes narrowed as they were trying to adjust with the sudden brightness in the dark room. As soon as he saw the caller's name, he picked up the call.

"Uh… Hello.", the caller greeted.

"Rin. What's with the call ?", Haruka asked, sounding a bit irritated as he still felt a groggy from suddenly being awakened from his sleep.

"I… can't sleep…", Rin said then stopped for a while as he let out a shaky-sounding breath – it sounded like he was going to cry. "I… don't know if going to Australia is the best choice, Haru…"

Haruka closed his eyes as he heard Rin's words then let out a sigh. "After all this time… You only started to doubt your decision now ?", he replied, trying to let out a small laugh to lighten the mood but it turned out sounding like an awkward and nervous one. "Come on, Rin… You're going to leave tomorrow."

"I know ! But… something is telling me that I should stay…", Rin said while walking towards the kitchen for a glass of milk. "Haru… Do you really want me to go ?"

"Why do you have to ask me about that ?"

"Because… I had a feeling… like I'm going to lose something important if I go…"

“And what does it have to do with me ?”

“I feel like I’m going to lose you… if I go.”

Haruka kept silent for a while upon hearing Rin's words – his heart was aching so badly that it made him suffocate. It wasn't like he hadn't realized it but he just didn't want to accept the fact that Rin was still in love with him. He let out a heavy sigh, trying to think of an answer for Rin. If he could, he wanted to end the call, but he must give Rin an answer. "Stop thinking about nonsensical things, Rin… You've been chasing over your dream since elementary school, right ? Now that you have the opportunity to do so, don't let it go. Your dad would be sad, you know…"

"I guess you're right…. Hey, Haru… You're going to be on the same stage as me, right ?"

Haruka couldn't help but cried as Rin uttered his question. "Yeah…"

"Well then… See you tomorrow…"

"Yeah…"

"Good night… I… I love you…"

"Good night…. Sousuke would be jealous if he knew you said that to me…", Haruka said in his usual tone even though tears had started streaming down his cheeks.

"Can't we just…"

"Rin, I need to sleep now… I'll see you tomorrow, okay ? Bye.", Haruka said, ending the call without giving Rin a chance to talk any further. He knew exactly what the crimson-haired male wanted to say so he had to stop before his silent cry going to be filled with loud sobs. 'Rin… I'm sorry… I love you too…', he replied to Rin in his mind. He reached the shark-shaped plushie that was given to him by Rin on his birthday last year then hugged it tight, not caring about how his tears soaked the plushie wet. After a few hours of crying, he ended up sleeping in exhaustion until the dawn came.

* * *

 

Kisumi woke up earlier than his alarm clock that morning so he decided to get ready early then go to Haruka's house. He was supposed to meet him at the airport around 9.30 a.m., an hour before Rin boards his flight, but his urge to see Haruka was too strong that he couldn't stop himself. Besides, he could have his breakfast at Haruka's house. He found himself craving for the foods cooked by the blue-eyed male since the first time he ate them during his first overnight as a boyfriend. Since then, he would come to the blue-eyed swimmer's house whenever he wanted to eat and that made Haruka somewhat pissed off.

As day passed, Haruka became adapted to Kisumi's behavior. Though he still couldn't help but feel irritated by the peach-haired clingy and spoiled actions, he would give him whatever he wanted to as long as he could do it. Finished locking the front door, he ran excitedly to his new car –a gift from his parents for graduating high school excellently– then drove his way to Haruka's house.

Meanwhile, Haruka was still sitting in his bath tub, enjoying the cold water surrounding his half-naked body. Like his usual morning, he was wearing his swimsuit when soaking in his bathtub. He hasn't been swimming since he retired from the swim club activities after the national tournament and he wasn't that fit anymore to swim like he usually does. Soaking in the bathtub is the only thing he could do when he couldn't swim – that had always been his habit but this time, he didn't do it during winter only. He did it every day, like when he stopped swimming competitively before.

Slowly, he descended his body until his back was leaning on the floor of the bathtub, fully submerged in the water. 'I love you.' – Rin's words from last night suddenly reappeared inside his mind, causing him to helplessly blush to them. Despite how persistent he was in telling Rin that their relationship was over, Rin was still the dearest one in his heart. Sure, Kisumi had made his own place in his heart too, but it was nothing compared to Rin's – if Rin was the king, Kisumi was just a knight. 'Now I feel kind of guilty…', he thought, closing his eyes.

"-ru!", a familiar voice called his name. "Haru !", Kisumi shouted, pulling the swimmer out of the water. Haruka took a deep breath for air as he emerged; coughing out the water he had accidentally taken into his lung. Kisumi patted the blue-eyed male's back softly, trying to make him relax.

* * *

 

"What were you thinking ?!", Kisumi scolded while chasing after the smaller male who was heading to the kitchen in his swimsuit right after he recovered from drowning. Kisumi had been asking about a lot of things in the bathroom but Haruka answered none of it. All he did was ignoring the persistent peach-haired male, walking away from him even though he knew that he couldn't run from him. "You could've died, you know !", he said again, pulling Haruka's hand so that he faced him properly.

"I'm… sorry… I fell asleep…", Haruka apologized, averting his gaze from Kisumi's eyes as he didn't dare to look at them – Kisumi was really angry and worried. “I promise I won’t do it again.”

“Hey…”, the blue-eyed male muttered, trying to lessen the tension between them. Gradually, Haruka loosened Kisumi's grip on his hand, then cupped his cheeks. "You're hungry, right ? Let me cook us some breakfast…"

Kisumi let the smaller male to continue what he wanted to do, retreating to the living room like he always did since Haruka doesn't like people interrupting him in his kitchen. He let out a heavy sigh as he sat on the floor, resting his head on the short table in front of him. He was glad that he came early that day. If he was a bit late, Haruka would've drowned in the bathtub and died earlier than he should – Kisumi didn't want that. Haruka only has less than a month to stay alive according to what the doctor said and he didn't want that short period to become even shorter.

'20 days… isn't as long as I thought…', he thought, staring at the calendar that was hanging on the wall. Kisumi let out another sigh, thinking how he's going to smile while seeing Haruka dies in front of him – the longer he spent his time with the blue-eyed male, the harder the request had become to him.

"Stop sighing all the time, Kisumi. Help me serve the food.", Haruka said from the kitchen. Kisumi didn't reply but he went into the kitchen, preparing the utensils to be used for eating then brought them to the living room.

* * *

 

"Haru ! Hurry up or we'll be late !", Kisumi shouted from the front door.

"Give me 5 minutes !", Haruka shouted from his room. He turned his focus back to the box in front of him, arranging the cookies and chocolates he had made yesterday properly. As soon as he was satisfied with the arrangement, he put on the box's lid then proceeded to wrap it. Done wrapping and decorating the box, he shoved it into his bag then ran downstairs before meeting Kisumi outside.

"What were you doing ?", Kisumi asked.

"Nothing important… Let's go."

"Actually… we're going by car today."

"The one your parents gave you that day ?", Haruka asked.

"Yeah. That one."

"Show off…", Haruka teased him.

"Well, I have my boyfriend right beside me, so I have to show off, right ?"

"Oh my, you're so cool, Kisumi~~", Haruka said in an admiring tone. "Like I'm going to say that… You're not cool at all. I'm a lot cooler than you…"

Kisumi pouted at Haruka's response then said, "Geez… I knew that already ! But at least I'm hot."

"Nah… Rin's hotter…"

Kisumi let out a sigh as he heard Haruka's words, causing the smaller male to let out a small laugh to his reaction. Yes, Kisumi wasn't cool or hot to Haruka, but he knew that Kisumi's charm wasn't for his coolness or hotness. "It's okay, Kisumi. You're fine as you are… You're not cool, not hot either. But you're warm…"

"Warm ? That doesn’t really sound great to me…", Kisumi pouted.

"Yeah… It might not sound as great as ‘cool’ or ‘hot’.”, the smaller male said, earning another sigh from his boyfriend. “To be honest, cool and hot types are overrated. I mean… what’s so good with being cool or hot ?”

“They’re the proof of someone being attractive ! Of course they’re great !”

“But do they help other people ? I mean, like I said, you’re ‘warm’. Like the morning sun. Bright and warm enough to cheer up the world that was once dark. In other words, your warm presence saved me.", Haruka said, a soft smile forming on his face, causing Kisumi to blush hardly. "Oh, did I flatter you ?"

"W-Well… Yes… Since it was the first time someone talks about me like that…", Kisumi replied, looking away from Haruka's gaze. 'Stop being sweet all of a sudden… I could have a heart attack !'

The blue-eyed male let out a small laugh at Kisumi’s reaction. “Now stop trying to be what you’re not meant to be. You being hot or cool won’t be any help for me.”

“But at least I’m hot in bed, right ?”, the peach-haired male said, giving Haruka a mischievous wink.

“Yeah… sure.”, Haruka said before laughing again.

They kept talking about trivial things until they reached the car that Kisumi parked downstairs. As soon as they got into the car, Kisumi started the engine then drove away, leaving Iwatobi behind. They didn't talk much during the trip, just a few questions about Kisumi's future study plans and about Haruka moving to the peach-haired male's private apartment. As the atmosphere was turning silent again, Haruka closed his eyes, letting his sleepiness to take over him. 'I guess you're not just a knight… You're a knight in shining armor…'

* * *

 

They arrived at the airport at 9.15 a.m., 15 minutes earlier than their meeting time. Kisumi parked his car at the car park not too far from the main building so that they didn’t have to take a long walk to get to the building. Haruka might not say anything about it but Kisumi could see that he was tired emotionally and physically that day. Looking at the light eye bags under his eyes, he could see that the raven-haired male was lacking sleep. 'He must've been thinking about Rin overnight…', he thought, staring at his boyfriend who was sleeping soundlessly.

"Haru~ Wake up…", Kisumi said while shaking the smaller male gently but Haruka kept on sleeping. Kisumi stretched out his hand to caress his boyfriend's soft cheek. 'Cute…', he thought, smiling to himself. He brought his face closer to the sleeping male's face then gave a kiss on his lips.

"Kisumi…?”, Haruka mumbled as he opened his eyes. “Sorry… I was too sleepy…"

"It's okay~~ We've arrived. Wanna get inside ?", Kisumi said, grinning.

"Yeah… Let's go…"

* * *

 

"Seems like our lovey-dovey couple is finally here.", Makoto said with a soft smile, watching the pair walking with their hands intertwined towards the table they were sitting.

"I have to say… I had never imagined that they'll make a good couple.", Rei gave his opinion.

Rin didn't say anything; all he could do was looking at the new couple, at Haruka's new boyfriend. Never had he thought that Haruka would choose Kisumi to replace him. He wanted to make a genuine smile as he saw them but he ended looking at them with a sad smile carved on his face – he couldn't lie to himself to be happy with Haruka's decision. Until now, he couldn't accept their breakup since Haruka had never told him a strong reason for that. Even so, he hated himself for accepting Sousuke's offer easily after the breakup to distract himself from Haruka.

"Sorry~~ Haru fell asleep in the car.", Kisumi said, pulling a seat for Haruka to sit on, earning a glare from the smaller male. Kisumi only laugh to the response.

"A car ? Kisu-chan has a car ?", Nagisa asked excitedly.

"Yeah… His parents gave him…", Haruka replied on Kisumi's behalf.

"Cool~~", Nagisa said.

"See, I told you I'm cool~", Kisumi said, winking mischievously to the raven-haired.

"You're not…", Haruka replied dryly.

“You couldn’t deny what you heard, Haru~~”

"Well, maybe both of you should stop fighting now.", Makoto said to stop their argument. "Rin is going to enter the waiting lounge soon."

Haruka turned silent upon hearing Makoto's words, tightening his grip on his bag. He took a glance at Rin who was busy talking to Sousuke. 'He didn't even greet me…', he thought in disappointment, changing his gaze to the content in his bag. 'Well, I didn't greet him too…' His hand was playing with the zipper of his bag while his mind was still arguing whether he should give the box or not. He was too lost in his mind, that he didn't realize it was his turn to give Rin some words before he goes.

"Haru. It's your turn.", Makoto said, smiling gently at his childhood friend.

"Uh… I…", Haruka tried to talk but Rin interrupted.

"Can we go somewhere else, Haru ?", Rin said, staring at the nervous male.

"But… everyone…"

"It's okay. Go somewhere else and tell him anything you wanted to.", Sousuke said, his voice was firm but Haruka didn't sense any anger or irritation in his tone.

Rin immediately stood up from his seat, not wanting to waste any more time then grabbed Haruka's hand, forcing the smaller male to get up from his seat. He kept on dragging Haruka away from their friends until he reached somewhere he satisfied with – Haruka didn't say anything when Rin stopped.

"So… what do you want to say ?", Rin asked.

Haruka took out the box inside his bag then handed it over to the crimson-haired male. "For you… I made them… Your favorites."

"O-oh… Thanks.", Rin said.

"I… I missed you…", Haruka confessed, causing Rin's crimson orbs to widen. "You're going to Australia in just a little moment… I already feel like I'm going to miss you a lot… I…"

Haruka was going to continue his words but Rin suddenly pulled him into his embrace, the longer arms wrapping around his body lovingly. The blue-eyed male didn't say anything to Rin's sudden action, extending his arms to wrap around the taller male's body. How he missed Rin's hugs, Rin's scent, Rin's warmth, Rin's everything. If he could, he wanted to hold him until the flight departs so that Rin wouldn't have to go, but holding Rin from going is selfish. Rin deserves to reach his dream, so Haruka won’t stop him.

"Haru… I missed you too…", Rin said as he started sobbing. "Why… I don't know why… I feel like I'm not going to see you anymore after this…"

Haruka rubbed the taller male's back, trying to sooth his feeling. "Rin… I told you not think of unnecessary things… I'll be here… We'll face each other when the time comes…", Haruka said, lying to both Rin and himself.

"I know… but…", Rin continued crying.

Haruka pulled away from his hug, cupping Rin's wet cheeks with his hands while his thumbs wiping away the tears flowing out of his glassy eyes. "Hush… Don't cry. It's going to be okay. You're going to get a gold medal, aren't you ? Have you gotten more feminine after going out with Sousuke ?"

Rin let out a laugh to Haruka's question. "Of course not. I might be the bottom this time but I'm still a lot manlier than you !"

* * *

 

Rin went into the waiting lounge not long after they went back to meet their friends. Everyone was crying as Rin stepped into the separated space behind the glass. Haruka stared at Rin and Rin was also staring at Haruka. After a while, Haruka smiled then said something that caused the crimson-haired male to drop his tears once more. He couldn't hear what he said but the movement of Haruka's lips told him enough. 'I love you too.' – the answer that he had been waiting since last night. Rin hastily wiped his tears, leaving his friends out of his sight. 'Haru… still loves me... but why…'

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IDK what I'm writing anymore. Forgive me for the OOC-ness. LOL. Thanks for leaving kudos and comments on this story. :)

It had been a week since Rin went to Australia, a week since everyone started a new life after high school. Haruka had moved to Kisumi's private apartment three days after the day they said goodbye to Rin. To be honest, he didn't want to move out of his grandmother's house if he could, but Kisumi insisted that he should live with him or else, the peach-haired male would drop his study plan. The blue-eyed male was quite irritated with the condition Kisumi had set for him, he obeyed him nonetheless. He didn't want to destroy someone else's future – Kisumi knew that very well, so he used that fact for his own convenience.

He did feel a bit guilty of using Haruka's fear to make the blue-eyed male obey him, but he didn't have a chance given how stubborn Haruka was. The black-haired male did many things, promised a lot of things just to get Kisumi's approval to let him stay but none of them changed the peach-haired male's decision. Kisumi couldn't blame Haruka for his stubbornness since the house was his precious place, a place with the memories of him and his late grandmother. He could have stayed there with Haruka but the university he was going to attend was very far from Iwatobi. Leaving his vulnerable boyfriend alone with that long distance was the last thing he would do.

Kisumi let out a heavy sigh as he saw Haruka passed beside him without any greetings. It had been 4 days since they moved in, and Haruka hadn't talk anything ever since. He even refused to sleep on the same bed with Kisumi. Every night, the blue-eyed male would bring his pillow, shark plushie and blanket to the couch in the living room; he rather sleep on the not so comfy couch than being on the same bed with the peach-haired male. But whenever he fell asleep, Kisumi would carefully bring him into his room. Thanks to the painkiller's effect, he could bring Haruka without any fear of him waking up.

'He's really angry about it…', the peach-haired male lamented in his mind, letting out another sigh. He had never handled a sulking Haruka so he didn't know how to put down the blue-eyed male's wall. He tried coaxing him with presents, affectionate gestures and apologies but all of those didn't work – Haruka kept on being cold to him even though a few days had passed. Kisumi stared at the black-haired male who was busy preparing the ingredients he needed to make breakfast. The blue-eyed male still do the house chores like he had always done before despite being angry and the peach-haired male felt very grateful with that. At least he knew that Haruka still care about him.

'If it's Rin… What would he do…?'

* * *

 

>  
> 
> From : Kisumi
> 
> Subject : Haruka is sulking
> 
> Hello~~ Rin ! How's Australia ? I hope you don't end up being overwhelmed by those swimmers like you did back then. Well, I have a question. What should I do if Haruka is sulking ? It had been 4 days already but he won't talk to me at all.

* * *

 

 

> From : Rin
> 
> Subject : Re : Haruka is sulking
> 
> Oi ! I'm not that foolish anymore, you know ! I have to get faster so that I can beat Haru in our next competitions, so I won't let them overwhelm me more than Haru did. As for your question, you should just let him be. He'll talk to you when the time's right. Well… at least that's how it worked for me.

* * *

Kisumi let out a heavy sigh as he read Rin's reply. 'I would do that if I can wait that long…', he lamented in his mind. Subtracting a week from Haruka's remaining time, the blue-eyed male only have 13 days left before he leaves the world forever. He didn't want those last moments to be filled with silence – at least, he wanted Haruka to enjoy his remaining time happily. Kisumi changed his gaze from the phone screen to the black-haired male who was sitting at the other end of the couch. He was leaning on his pillow, hugging his beloved shark plushie while his eyes were focusing on the television.

"Hey… Haru…", Kisumi said, trying to start a conversation but the black-haired male didn't give him any attention. Kisumi shifted closer to Haruka then tried to talk again. "Won't you talk to me ? I… missed you…"

Haruka still kept his mouth shut, eyes still fixed on the moving pictures, but Kisumi could see the change in the dolphin's expression. After some time, Haruka moved his gaze to the floor as he couldn't keep his focus on the show anymore. Seeing the blue-eyed male's reaction, Kisumi talked again. "Haru… I'm really sorry for forcing you to move out… but I just wanted to be close to you. I wanted to be right beside you whenever you need me."

The peach-haired male left a moment of silence after he spoke, giving Haruka some time to respond to his words. Gradually, Haruka's focus went to Kisumi's purplish orbs, staring deep into them as if wanting to tell something. The blue-eyed male was hesitant to talk at first, but eventually, he let his words out. "I… I'm sorry too… for being stubborn…", Haruka finally said, pausing for a while then continued talking. "I just… love that house a lot… My memories… they're all there."

"I'm really sorry…"

Looking at the peached-haired male's guilty face, Haruka let out a small laugh. "It's really okay, Kisumi… Stop looking that guilty. My heart can't take it anymore."

"B-but…"

"I said it's okay, didn't I ?", Haruka said, carving a soft smile on his face. "Just… let me stay there on my last 2 days… I want to spend my last day there…"

Kisumi kept silent upon hearing his words; he could feel that his voice was going to crack if he forced himself to talk. He wondered how Haruka could say those words calmly, not to mention, with such a serene smile on his face. He didn't realize that he was spacing out until Haruka pulled him into his embrace. Kisumi couldn't help himself to stop blushing, his heart racing as if he was just finished a sprint. "S-Stop doing things in a sudden… I could get a heart attack for real.", he muttered.

Haruka let out a laughed at the peach-haired male's words. "But you looked like you're going to cry… It's not even my last day, you know… How are you going to keep your promise if you failed this early ?", he uttered, caressing the back of Kisumi's head gently.

"You're a cruel person indeed…", Kisumi said, tightening his hug as if the blue-eyed male would disappear if he didn't hold him that tight. He loves the warmth of Haruka's body; sometimes he couldn't sleep well without the black-haired male by his side. Thinking that the warmth he had always loved would be gone soon, always made his heart ache.

"Kisumi… Well... since it had been long... Do you want to do that ?"

Kisumi frowned as he heard him. "Do what ?"

"Do 'that'."

"What is 'that' thing you wanted to do ?", Kisumi asked again as he still couldn't understand what Haruka meant by that.

Haruka let out a sigh then pulled away from the hug, earning a frown from the peach-haired male. He then positioned himself on all fours, before pushing Kisumi down, placing himself on top of the larger make – the peach-haired male's purplish orbs widen to the sudden act. "W-Wait ! By 'that' you mean…", Kisumi stuttered over his words. Haruka chuckled at the peach-haired male's sudden shyness; he had always loved the sight of a red-faced Kisumi ever since they started their relationship. Sometimes, he even purposely flatters the peach-haired male so that he could see that different side of him.

"Why are you getting shy all of a sudden ?", Haruka said in a teasing tone, staring at Kisumi's eyes with a naughty grin on his face. "Or... Are you starting to imagine indecent things ? Maybe both ?"

Kisumi averted his gaze from the beautiful clear-blue pair of eyes; he could feel his face getter warmer and redder under Haruka's gaze as dirty thoughts starting to flood in his mind. "I-I'm not…"

The black-haired male let out another chuckle then dragged one of his knees closer to Kisumi's crotch until it pressed on the sensitive spot; Kisumi gasped in response. "Oh my… I haven't done anything… but you're already this hard…", Haruka whispered suggestively. "Do you want me that much ?"

"H-Huh ? That's entirely your fault for being so seductive all of a sudden !", Kisumi whined.

Haruka sealed the peach-haired male's lips with his, not letting him to let out any more words. After some time, he licked Kisumi's lower lip, asking for his permission to let his tongue explore the cavern hidden behind those pair of lips. Kisumi parted his lips a bit, enough to let Haruka's tongue to slip in. Their tongues started to collide against each other, fighting for dominance. They kept on kissing passionately, grinding their groins against each other and after a few moments, Kisumi pulled away from the kiss as he was already running out of breath.

"I… hah… won…", Haruka muttered between his breaths.

Kisumi didn't say anything, still panting as he tried to catch his breath. As he finally could control of his breathing, he immediately changed his position, pinning the blue-eyed male down on the couch. "I'm not going to let you top."

"I'm always fine with bottoming, idiot…", Haruka muttered.

* * *

Their relationship had gotten better after that day. Every day passed joyfully and smoothly with not many arguments in throughout their days. The Haruka who usually prefers people to stay away when he cooks had allowed the peach-haired male to help him; he even taught him how to cook simple meals by himself. Whenever Kisumi said that he didn't need to cook, Haruka would lecture him about how important it is to eat well-balanced foods, about how the foods sold in the convenience lack of nutrients about how he could save money if he cooks at home.

Kisumi knew the reason behind his sudden change of his lover's behavior – Haruka was worried about leaving him alone. He didn't hate it when the black-haired male nagged him, but he didn't like when Haruka casually said that he won't be right there to take care of him after he dies. The blue-eyed male was only saying the truth but Kisumi hated that fact that Haruka could calmly talk about it. It's as if he doesn't feel anything at the thought of leaving his own boyfriend alone. 'Maybe… Haruka doesn't really love me after all…', was what he always thought. Just because he cared about him, didn't mean that he loves him. But that wasn't the truth.

5 days before the last day, Kisumi lied to the black-haired male, saying that he couldn't go home that day. All he wanted to do was to surprise him with a birthday gift since he won't get another chance celebrate his birthday anymore; Haruka's birthday was still four months away. He stopped a while in front of the door, his hand was busy searching for the door's key in his pocket then when he finally opened the door, he could hear something weird coming from the house – it sounded like someone was bawling inside. He entered the house quietly and carefully only to be greeted with a sight he shouldn't have seen.

The room was dim, but the light from the full moon was bright enough for him to see the figure that was sitting on the floor nearby the sliding door. Haruka was crying his heart out – something that people who knew him would consider as out of character for a stoic guy like him. Kisumi was frozen in front of the living room entrance, staring at the figure. 'Ah… How foolish I am…', his mind muttered as the realization hit him; Haruka was always someone who loves to put up a tough front. He had always been too focused on his own feelings that he forgot everything about how Haruka's feelings and emotions work.

After a while, Kisumi made a move, swift but quietly walking towards Haruka then pulled him into a hug – Haruka's sapphire orbs widen at the sudden gesture. It took him a few moments to realize that the peach-haired male was there, hugging him tight. He let his body relax against Kisumi's larger body, burying his face in his shoulder while his arms reciprocating the hug. "Why are you here ?", he said in a cracked voice; from the sound of it, Haruka must have cried for hours.

"To see you…", Kisumi replied.

"How about work ?"

"It was a lie…", Kisumi muttered then took a deep breath before letting it out as a sigh. "I wanted to make a surprise… Well, for your birthday…"

Haruka smiled upon hearing his words. "My birthday is in June…"

"I know… but… I wanted to at least celebrate it once only with you…", Kisumi said, pouting.

"But you ended up being surprised…", Haruka said then chuckled.

"Yeah… Hey, Haru… Why… why were you crying ?"

Tears started to pool up in his blue-eyes, waiting for the time for it to flow down his cheeks. He didn't know how to answer that question since he wasn't a person who is honest to his own feelings. He tends to brush aside his emotional upset in favor of simply handling any situation he is having and maintaining his calm demeanor. However, despite how perfect he is in hiding his real emotions and feelings, Haruka was still a human being supported by some bodily systems inside his body. Every time he tried to deny his feelings, his bodily indicator would always betray him; he might seem calm from the outside, but his body is suffering.

After accumulating his courage, Haruka finally talked. "I… don't want to die…"

Kisumi's chest tightened as he heard the blue-eyed male's words but he didn't say anything in response. He kept quiet, giving Haruka a space of time to let out his words in his own pace; he knew that there was actually a lot of things that the black-haired male wanted to say. His brought one of his hands to Haruka's head, caressing him continuously as if trying to sooth a weeping child. After a few moments of silence, the dolphin tried to talk again even though he was struggling with his now turned raspy voice.

"I finally… I finally have Rin all to myself…", Haruka said, sobbing a little before continuing his words. "After all the misunderstandings… I finally have him by my side… I had always loved him… but… just when I thought… I could be happy with him…"

Haruka kept on talking between his sobs. He talked about what he really felt when Rin came back from Australia, about how grateful and happy he was when the crimson-haired male confessed to him, about how happy his daily days with Rin by his side, about how suffering he was when he knew about his disease, about how grief it was when he broke up with Rin – all of them, all of his pent up feelings was mostly about Rin. The peach-haired male could feel the ache in his heart and he honestly wanted to cry; he wanted to ask Haruka whether he existed in his heart even a bit but he couldn't bring himself to ask the blue-eyed male. All he could do was listening to Haruka's confessions while trying to sooth him.

"Before you came… everything in front of me was dark… I couldn't see things like I usually did… Everything felt so painful…", Haruka said, still continuing his confessions, hugging the peach-haired male tight. "I… was very grateful that you came… You… You saved me… You accepted me… even though… I still have Rin in my heart…You said that you loved me…"

"Yeah… I love you… I had always been in love with you…", Kisumi finally muttered. "But well... all you see in your world was Rin…"

Haruka kept quiet for a while, feeling guilty after hearing what the peach-haired male had said. His words were true – all he could see back then was Rin. "I… I'm sorry… but you know… I've started loving you since that day…"

Kisumi chuckled as he heard the black-haired male's honest confession. "But not as much as Rin, right ?"

Haruka didn't answer the question immediately, taking his time to think for an answer – an honest one. "I… might sound like a selfish person… but… to be honest… after all the things that you've done for me… I couldn't choose either one of you… Both of you… are kings in my heart… both of you… are special… I love the both of you a lot…"

The blue-eyed male paused for a while, taking a breath to calm himself before continuing his confession. "But by now... I might've fallen in love with you more than Rin."

Kisumi's purplish orbs widen as he heard the blue-eyed male's words; he had always thought that his existence was merely as a substitute for Rin's but his assumption was wrong. Haruka didn't love him as a substitute – he loved him as Shigino Kisumi. Somehow, he felt ashamed for thinking about the black-haired male wrongly all this time. Kisumi shifted a bit as he felt Haruka pulling away from his hug. He stared at the puffy eyes that were staring at him, his hands wiping the remaining tears on his cheeks.

"Kisumi… please promise me another thing…"

"What is it ?"

"Promise me that you'll take a good care of yourself after I died… 4 days left, Kisumi… I can't take care of you anymore after that… I… I'd feel guilty if my death ended up being a misery to you…", Haruka said, his sapphire orbs still staring at Kisumi's purplish ones.

"I will…", Kisumi said, tears finally flowed down his cheeks. "I'll keep my promises…"

"Sorry… for being cruel…", Haruka said, resting his head on Kisumi's broad chest, enjoying the sound of the peach-haired male's heartbeat. He couldn't hear that calming sound very soon.

"I… don't really mind…"

"You're a masochist…", Haruka teased.

"Then you're a sadist.", Kisumi replied. "But I still love you."

"I love you too."


	4. Chapter 4

It was already 4 in the morning. Everyone in the dorm had already fallen asleep hours ago but a certain crimson-haired male was still awake. Something was bothering him and it wasn't the first time he had felt it; it had been bothering him since the day Haruka decided to walk away from the relationship. The whole thing happening didn't make sense to him – their life was perfect. They did fight more than any normal couples do but that was just one of their weird quirks and the both of them are very aware of that. They would be fine after their stubbornness subside.

Rin let out a sigh, running his fingers through his strands of hair that was already damp because of his cold sweat while his free hand was clenching his bed sheet. He hated how his heart didn't stop throbbing faster it should have; he hated how anxious he was; he hated the fact that he didn't know what exactly happened between him and Haruka. "Everything was too soon, idiot…", he cursed under his breath. "At least… tell me why…". Rin finally took his phone, deciding that he should just ask the blue-eyed male again.

* * *

 

> To : Haru
> 
> Subject : How are you ?
> 
> Hey, Haru… Sorry for this sudden message. I can't sleep. I keep on thinking about you. Are you okay ? You didn't seem well back then. You did seem a lot thinner and paler than usual.

* * *

Haruka's phone vibrated as Rin's mail reached his inbox. Lazily, he tried to reach his phone that was resting on the small lamp desk beside the bed. As soon as his hand grabbed the gadget, he opened his eyes slowly, adjusting his sight to the brightness of the phone screen. "Rin…?", he muttered under his breath as he read the sender's name. "This idiot…"

* * *

 

> To : Rin
> 
> Subject : Re : How are you ?
> 
> I'm fine. It's just your imagination. You should stop thinking about nonsensical things. Now get some sleep.

* * *

Rin jolted a bit as his phone vibrated as he wasn't expecting Haruka to reply that fast. He stretched his hand to reach the phone that was lying beside him in a swift motion then read the mail. "Tch…"

* * *

 

> To : Haru
> 
> Subject : Re : Re : How are you ?
> 
> I'm gonna call you to make sure. If you don't answer, I'll assume that you're not okay and I'll try to come back as soon as possible.

* * *

'Damn… He's playing dirty…', Haruka cursed in his mind as he read Rin's reply – the crimson-haired male had always been like that. It wasn't like he didn't want to talk to Rin, but his voice had gotten weaker as his days passed; Rin could find out he wasn't okay in a second if he heard him. After a few seconds, Rin called him and despite how hesitant he was to answer the call, he didn't have any other choice but to talk to him. Shakily, his finger tapped the button appeared on the screen before bringing the phone closer to his ear.

"Hello…", he muttered, greeting the crimson-haired male.

"Hey… are you really okay ?"

"I am…"

"You don't sound like you're okay…", Rin said, causing the blue-eyed male's heart to skip a beat.

"I told you I'm fine…", Haruka replied, trying to hide any nervousness in his voice. "I'm just tired…"

Rin kept quiet for a while, thinking for words to say until he heard a voice calling the blue-eyed male's name from Haruka's end. "Is that Kisumi ?"

"Yeah… He's talking in his sleep… Normal things…", Haruka said, caressing Kisumi's hair with his free hand.

"Owh… You're living with him ?"

"He insisted…", Haruka replied, letting out a heavy sigh.

Rin went silent again, his free hand balled into a fist as his jealousy had finally taken control of him. He couldn't understand what the blue-eyed male was thinking. Why did he accept Kisumi instead of him ? Rin could feel that his voice was going to crack as he speaks but he didn't care about it at all. "Why… Why Kisumi ?", he muttered under his breath.

Haruka let out a heavy sigh as he heard him; it wasn't the first time he heard people asking about his decision to be with the peach-haired male. It's true that Kisumi annoys him most of the time, but Haruka didn't hate him. "Why do all of you asked the same question ? What's wrong with Kisumi anyway ? He's actually a very considerate and adorable guy, you know…"

The crimson-haired male gritted his teeth at the response; he hated how fond Haruka's voice sounded when talking about Kisumi. "Then what's wrong with me ?"

Haruka left a gap of silence after hearing those words, trying to hold back his tears even though it was futile, before replying to Rin's question. "There's nothing wrong with you…"

"Then I'll ask you again. Why did you decided to end our relationship ?! Did I do something wrong again ? If I did then you should've told me !"

"I said there's nothing wrong with you !", Haruka snapped, raising his voice a bit; his voice was shaky because of crying and the overwhelming pain he was feeling. "There's nothing wrong with you… You're just perfect… Our life was perfect…"

Rin's eyes widen as he heard the blue-eyed male's reply. It wasn't because of those words that made him surprised. It was Haruka's voice – he was crying. Rin had never heard that crying voice nor had he seen the blue-eyed male cries. "Oi… Haru… Are you crying ?", he asked, only to be replied with the sound of the sobbing male. "H-Haru ? D-Don't –"

"It's your fault I'm crying !", the blue-eyed male said, tears still flowing down his cheeks endlessly. "What do you want from me ?"

"I want you. I know that you still in love with me… right ?"

Haruka hated how hopeful Rin's words sounded; he hated how desperate Rin's voice was. Why couldn't Rin just accept that they weren't meant to be together ? He already has Sousuke by his side, so why is he still hoping for the impossible to happen ?

"Rin… Believe me… You'll be just fine without me…"

Rin let his body slumped against the wall as Haruka ended the call, tossing the phone he was holding to his side. Haruka's words kept on ringing inside his mind even after he ended the call. "Just what's going on with you, Haru…"

* * *

The next day, Haruka was surprised with a breakfast prepared by Kisumi, even though it wasn't his usual mackerel; the peach-haired male made him some pancakes. The black-haired male was wondering why had Kisumi waken up that early since he wasn't a morning person, but all the larger male said was he wanted to show off his new cooking skill. Haruka had to admit that the pancakes looked so beautiful with the strawberries filling the layers between them – the taste was good too.

The truth was, Kisumi couldn't sleep last night, not after he overheard Haruka talking to Rin last night. He was indeed felt a bit jealous but somehow, he didn't want the relationship between his lover and Rin to end like that. Rin has the right to know and Kisumi wanted to do something for the both of them. 

"Kisumi… When will you come home ?", Haruka asked as he saw Kisumi preparing the things he wanted to bring to his class.

"Around 3 ? My class ends early today, so I could send you to your old house.", Kisumi replied.

"Owh…"

Kisumi ruffled Haruka's hair as he saw the troubled face he was making – he knew quite well what his lover was thinking. "It's okay, dear ! You're not troubling me at all."

Haruka beamed a soft smile at him before following the peach-haired male to the front door as he wanted to see him off. He gave the taller male a kiss, a hug and some words before letting him go. It had been his usual routine since he lived with Kisumi. Honestly, he felt like a wife to him but he didn't really hate that fact; it was mostly true after all. Unlike other people around his age, he spent most of his time inside the house, cleaning the house, doing the laundry and cooking – he was very devoted in taking care of Kisumi's welfare. As soon as the peach-haired male closed the door, he went back to his room to pack some things that he wanted to bring back to his house.

* * *

_"Rin, I want you to come back to Japan in an instant…"_

Rin sprinted out of the lecture hall, bumping into a few people in his way, apologizing every time he bumped into them but he didn't stop running. His lungs felt like exploding, screaming for their owner to slow down his pace in order for them to take in more oxygen to supply his body, but he ignored it. He needed to get to his dormitory and pack his things as soon as possible. After some time, he could feel his legs getting wobbly, both from his adrenaline rush and his exhaustion. As soon as he arrived at the front of his room, his hand shakily reached for the keys he slipped into his pocket then opened the door after he found them.

_"It's about Haru…"_

He threw his bag onto his bed hastily, before searching for his passport and some important documents that he needed to bring along with him. He then stuffed them into his backpack along with a few pair of clothes, just enough for him to wear for a few days. He walked back and forth in his medium-sized room while thinking for things he has to do next but in his state, even his brain couldn't function normally. 'For goodness sake ! Calm down, Rin !', he scolded himself mentally. Getting too panicked won't get him anywhere but he couldn't help it – not when he knew that the person he loves so much was going to leave him forever without him knowing.

_"He only has 2 days left… You won't see him after these days…"_

Rin took a few deep breaths then allowed himself to relax in the silence of the room. He had done everything he could; all he could do for that time being was waiting for the cab he had contacted before. He was lucky enough that he booked a ticket on a whim a few days after he arrived in Australia since he was too worried about the blue-eyed male; he only needed to change the flight date and time. He didn't care about his classes and practices that he was going to skip anymore. All he could think of was Haruka, Haruka and Haruka.

"You should've told me, idiot…", the crimson-haired male muttered under his breath.

* * *

It was 5 p.m. already when they reached the port town called Iwatobi. Haruka decided to do a quick shopping for food supplies at his favorite store. Kisumi had persistently suggested that they should just buy some ready-made food from the convenience store but the blue-eyed male shrugged his suggestion off. Like Kisumi had said, he was tired but he wasn't a fan of convenience store food, so he was going to cook anyway.

"What do you want for dinner ?", Haruka asked, his sapphire orbs busy looking around for the ingredients he would need.

"I'm fine with anything…", Kisumi answered, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Someone sounds like he's getting bored of my food, huh ?", Haruka muttered, walking away from the peach-haired male while deciding to choose the dinner menu on his own. 'Something I could prepare in an hour or so…', he thought to himself, looking at the variety of meat lined up neatly in the freezer.

"I'm not ! It's just… You're tired, right ? You should get lots of rest."

Haruka just hummed to the response, ignoring the worried male that followed him everywhere he went obediently. When he decides to do something, he'll do it – no one could stop him. 'Hmm… I guess mackerel miso is fine… It had been quite a while since I ate it.', Haruka finally decided.

As soon as they reached home, the first thing that Haruka did was searching for his cats at his lawn. He felt guilty for leaving them but there's nothing much he could do for them – pets aren't allowed to be kept in the apartment building. "Rin~", Haruka called a few times but to his disappointment, nothing seemed to come out. "Well, it had been long… He must've went away…", the blue-eyed male muttered under his breath. Among all the cats he fed, Rin was the closest to him and he was the only cat that he named.

While the other cats only come for food, Rin comes whenever he likes and spends most of his time sleeping on Haruka's lap. To Haruka, the cat named Rin is a wonderful and mysterious gift from god. As if he could sense how the black-haired male feels, he would act differently according to his moods. When Haruka felt lonely, Rin became so active; when Haruka felt sad, he would stay by his side obediently. After he broke up with Rin, the cat even stayed with him all the time, accompanying him to help him in his own way even though Haruka didn't play with him as much as he did before.

Haruka let out a heavy sigh before retreating to the living room. It couldn't be helped. It was his own fault the cat walked away. All Haruka could do was hoping that he found a good owner to live with – he couldn't imagine how miserable it would be if he found out that Rin had died while he was away. Just when he stepped on the corridor, he could hear a meowing sound coming from the lawn. The blue-eyed male immediately turned his head to search for the owner of the voice. If he didn't get it wrong, that voice did belongs to Rin.

"Rin !", Haruka said happily. He sounded like a father who just found his long lost child – that made Kisumi chuckled to himself while spying on his lover.

Haruka hugged the medium-sized cat fondly as he picked him up. His fur was as soft as always – the blue-eyed male had always loved that soft and smooth fur. He could spend hours just caressing them. "Rin… I miss you… I'm sorry… I left you…", Haruka apologized to the cat and as if he understood his owner's words, he let out a meow then licked Haruka's cheek.

"Eeh ? Where's my hug ?", Kisumi whined as he walked out from his hiding place.

"There's no hug for someone who's getting bored of my food.", Haruka simply stated, his arms still wrapped around the cat.

"But –"

"When I say 'NO' then it's a 'NO'.", Haruka replied coldly before heading inside, eyes secretly glancing at the dejected looking Kisumi. He eventually chuckled as Kisumi was out of his sight though. No matter how many times he has seen Kisumi's different reactions, he still couldn't get enough of them, especially if teasing him is the cause of those reactions. 'Really... Why does teasing you has to feel so fun ?'


	5. Chapter 5

Haruka slowly opened his pair of blue eyes as his nose caught the scent of Kisumi's perfume only to be greeted by a sight of someone moving in the dark. 'He should've just switch on the light…', he thought, frowning to the situation. As usual, Haruka wasn't feeling any better when the next morning came – his stomach was hurting more than usual and his whole body felt very weak. It's as if his soul was slowly pulled out of his body, leaving him unable to use the parts of his body as energetic as he always did. Haruka forced himself to get out of his bed, earning the attention from his lover.

"Haru ?", Kisumi said before sitting on the space beside the blue-eyed male. "Anything you need ?"

"Why don't you just switch on the light ?", Haruka asked, resting his head on the peach-haired male's shoulder.

"Well… you seemed too tired. I thought that you need some more sleep."

"How about breakfast ?"

"I was just about to go to the kitchen. Want to join me ?", Kisumi said, caressing the back of Haruka's head gently.

Haruka only replied to the offer with a nod. Smiling to himself at the response, Kisumi stood up before lifting the lighter male off the bed. The blue-eyed male could only let out a soft laugh, letting the larger male to carry him to the living room. As soon as they stepped out of the dark bedroom, Kisumi could see how pale and weak Haruka was as the light shone upon him. He looked so fragile, as if he could collapse whenever the time comes and Kisumi didn't like the thought of it; he was scared of it, especially when it happens while he's away.

To be honest, Kisumi didn't want to leave him that day, but he has important classes to attend and most importantly, he wanted to give Rin a space to talk to Haruka privately. Kisumi didn't want Haruka to leave and Rin to be left with regrets. The purple-eyed male put his lover down carefully as they arrived before walking to the kitchen to start making breakfast.

"Haru, darling~", Kisumi called from the kitchen.

"What is it, dear…", Haruka replied lazily, resting his heavy head on the table.

"What do you want for breakfast ?", the peach-haired male asked while his eyes busy looking at the ingredients Haruka bought yesterday.

"Can I skip breakfast ?"

"No."

"Then… Grilled mackerel and toasted bread."

Kisumi frowned at the sound of the menu, but he took out the mackerel out of the fridge anyway.

* * *

Both of them eat their breakfast quietly, enjoying the silence of the dawn while eating their food. Kisumi decided to have bacon, egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast since Haruka's menu was quite weird to his taste. It wasn't like he didn't like it, but he just couldn't adapt to its taste. After a while, Haruka stopped eating, leaving more than half of the fish and another slice of bread uneaten. Leaving some food behind had been a usual thing for Haruka since the last 2 weeks. It started with a small amount and later increased into a larger amount. Kisumi knew that it was one of the effects of his disease, but he couldn't help to worry about him.

"Haru… Eat some more ? Please ?", Kisumi said in a worried tone.

"Kisumi… I can't… Any more than what I've eaten… will be pushed out…", Haruka replied, staring at the remaining piece of food.

"But, Haru…"

"It's okay, Kisumi… I'll be fine…", Haruka said with a smile. "I promise I'll eat lunch properly."

The smile on Haruka's face is always beautiful and it made the peach-haired male happy whenever he saw it but as the days passed, Kisumi could feel a pain in his heart every time he saw the smile. The smile used to be so full of life, cheerful and fresh but right now, it looked so tired and weak.

"I have some important things to do… so I probably can't go home today…", Kisumi said, pausing for a while before continuing his words. "I… If I could, I don't want to leave you alone… but…"

"Kisumi.", Haruka called his name, sapphire orbs locked at the purplish ones. "I'll be fine, so don't worry too much. I'll be waiting for you."

Instead of replying to Haruka's words, Kisumi tore his gaze away from the blue-eyed male – he couldn't look at him any longer or he would cry. Haruka crawled from his seat and went closer to Kisumi. "Hey…", Haruka said while cupping both of the peach-haired male's cheeks, trying meet the other's gaze. "Stop making that face…"

"Idiot…", Kisumi muttered as he finally gave up on holding back his tears.

"Pfft… I thought that Rin's the biggest crybaby I've ever met… Who knows you could be one too ?"

"Shut up…"

* * *

> To : Rin
> 
> Subject : Hurry
> 
> Hey, Rin. You better hurry up. I don't want him to be alone too long. He looked awful just now.

* * *

Kisumi let out a heavy sigh as he sent the message. He couldn't stay clam with Haruka being left alone during his last days. Haruka having 2 days left was just a prediction – he could go away earlier or later than that prediction. 'Please be okay, Haru…'

* * *

While stretching his numb limbs, Rin walked away from the station, heading to the neighborhood where Haruka lives in. There was nothing unusual in the town; the scenery didn't change much and Rin totally loves the peaceful aura that the town gives. He didn't want this town to change. Silence greeted him as he walked further into the neighborhood, especially when he walked up the stairs leading to Haruka's house. Morning in the neighborhood had always been that silent since most of the folks living there would be at school or work.

Rin could feel his heart beating faster as he walked closer to his destination – it was suffocating and it made him felt nauseous. Part of him wanted to run away, leaving whatever situation that would happen and pretends to not knowing anything about it, but part of him didn't. Without him realizing, his foot had already brought him to his destination, right in front of Nanase's household's main entrance. All that left for him to do was pressing on the bell to inform the owner that someone was standing in front of his door.

Rin took in a deep breath before letting it out through his mouth in a heavy sigh. 'I have to do this !', he motivated himself before lifting his hand to press the bell. But suddenly, he stopped – something is bothering him. He could hear some weird noises coming from somewhere inside the house. It sounded like someone was trying his best to get a hold of his breathing; like he was forced to throw away whatever that the gut was holding. "Haru ?", Rin muttered under his breath, unlocking the door with his spare key then ran towards the living room.

Rin's crimson-orbs widen as he saw the blood splattered on the floor with Haruka trying to get a hold on his self, trying his best to stop his body from pushing out more thing from his stomach. With another thrust from his stomach, Haruka poured more of the bloody liquids out of his mouth onto the floor. Rin rushed to the blue-eyed male's side, helping the smaller male to get up. Haruka was shocked by the presence of the crimson-haired male in his house but he couldn't do anything about it.

"H-Hey… Are you okay ?", Rin asked the blue-eyed male.

Haruka took a while to reply to his ex-boyfriend's question, letting himself to relax in his embrace. With a raspy voice, he managed to mutter his usual phrase – I'm fine.

"No. You're not ! I'll take you to the hospital !", the crimson-haired male said, getting ready to stand up with the lighter male in his arms.

Haruka grabbed on Rin's arm tight, wanting to gain the panicked male's attention and he succeeded. Rin gave his full attention, crimson orbs full of tears staring at the sapphire ones intently. "Not you too… Don't make that stupid face… You're getting on my nerves…", he said in his usual monotonous tone, before getting up from his position slowly. "Wait up. I'll clean up my mess."

"I-I'll do it !"

"Rin. You should stop being too paranoid like Kisumi does. I can at least clean up my mess…", Haruka muttered before slowly leaving the dumbfounded shark sitting in the living room.

"Then I'll help you with the bath !", Rin tried to get Haruka's approval to help him. With a heavy sigh, Haruka let the crimson-haired male to help him prepare the bath while he went to clean his mess.

* * *

'What's going on here…?', Haruka asked himself as he stared blankly at the bathtub that had already being occupied by the crimson-haired male. Rin was supposed to help him to prepare the bath, not taking the bath, but the person sitting in the bathtub proved that Rin did the later. 'This is ridiculous…', the blue-eyed male thought again before proceeding to leave the bathroom. He could just take the bath later, after Rin had done bathing.

"W-Wait ! Haru !", Rin called, stopping Haruka's move. "Don't you want to take a bath ?"

"I'll take one after you."

"Why don't we… do it together ? Like we used to.", Rin suggested.

"Rin… We can't."

"I promise I won't do anything more…", Rin said, hesitated a bit before continuing his words. "…than touching."

"When it comes to you, even 'touching' is dangerous.", Haruka replied, earning a smug grin from the crimson-haired male.

"You're saying that I'm irresistible ?", Rin teased, raising one of his eyebrows.

Irritated with Rin's smug attitude, the dark-haired male walked towards the bathtub then mindlessly gets into the cramped space, sitting between the crimson-haired male's thighs. He didn't really know why he chose that position when he could have just sit facing the crimson-haired male where his skin won't touch Rin's too much. The space between him and Rin was barely separated and with every move they made, there hadn't been once their skin won't touch. Maybe, he just want to feel Rin's broad chest and firm abs pressed against his back, Rin's warm breath blowing gently against his skin and the warmth radiating from the other's body once again.

"Would you tell me ?", Rin said, breaking the silence between them. "About what really happened."

"Cancer.", Haruka simply replied.

"Since when ?", Rin muttered, resting his forehead on the dark-haired swimmer's nape. The conversation hadn't even got further and deeper, but he could feel himself starting to burst into tears already.

"I don't really know when it started… I didn't feel anything… No obvious pain or symptoms… Just normal…", Haruka said as he plays with the dolphin ornament that was floating on the surface of the water. "I went to the hospital for diagnosis not long after the national tournament when the pain suddenly appeared. It had already spread to my other organs that time. The doctor said that it started in my stomach."

"Why didn't you tell me ?"

Haruka kept quiet, letting the silence to engulf them once again. He hated the tension between them and he really wanted to get out from the bathtub, but he was tired, too tired to run away. Since Rin had personally come all the way from Australia for his answer, he didn't have any other choice but to tell his ex-boyfriend the truth that he wanted. "Why do you think that I should tell you ?"

"Because I was your boyfriend ! I was supposed to help you ! To protect you !", Rin snapped, raising his shaky voice. "If I had known about this earlier, then I-"

"You'll do what ? Reject the offer to go to Australia ? Stop pursuing your dream just because of me ?", Haruka calmly muttered, smiling to his reflection in the water. "I don't want that."

Rin didn't dare to talk at all – everything that the blue-eyed male said was exactly what he would do if he had known about his condition back then. All the crimson-haired male did was wrapping his arms around the smaller male while letting himself to cry as much as he wanted. Fate was cruel – that was all that Rin thought by that time. "I'm sorry…", Rin muttered the phrase like a chant between his sobs, even though he knew that it won't change anything.

"Rin… You're not wrong. So you don't have to be sorry…"

* * *

Rin hummed happily to his favorite song while bringing out the foods he cooked, before arranging them on the table. He made Haruka agreed to not help him, so the blue-eyed male decided to sit at the veranda to take some fresh air. 'Hmm… all's done…', the crimson-haired male thought as he observed the dishes displayed on the table. Satisfied with his work, he walked to the veranda to call the other male. He was about to call his name, but stopped as he saw the smaller male talking to his phone.

"You planned this, Kisumi ?", Haruka said before letting out a sigh. Rin didn't hear what the other responded to his words, but he was sure that Kisumi was just laughing like the innocent being he is. Rin realized that Haruka didn't talk much; all he did was petting the feline called Rin while listening to the peach-haired male's long story with a soft smile on his face. After some times, the blue-eyed male let out a soft chuckle then said 'You're an idiot.' afterwards.

"Alright… Alright… I'll say it.", Haruka said between his laughs. "I missed you, sweetheart~"

'Sweetheart ?', the crimson-eyed male thought in disbelief. Rin could see Haruka's body trembling as he laugh out loud – maybe not as loud as a healthy person laughs but it was the loudest genuine laugh Rin had heard from him in his whole life. 'Does he always laugh like that with Kisumi ?', Rin thought. He could feel his chest tighten at the thought of Kisumi being the one who managed to get that side of Haruka out. "Fine… Fine… I'll stop.", the blue-eyed male said only to continue laughing after a very short pause. "But… Pfft… You were stuttering… I bet your face is red right now~"

'Since when did you become such a tease ? You weren't like this before…', Rin thought, smilingly sadly as he watched the laughing male.

"Hey, Kisumi… Stop your stupid story.", Haruka muttered before letting out a small laugh, while his free hand lifted the cat off his lap. "Stop whining like a kid ! I think Rin's done with cooking, so…"

"Haru ! Lunch's ready !", Rin yelled, as he heard Haruka's words.

"I'm coming !", Haruka replied to Rin. "So… I'm going to eat, okay ? Pfft… Love you too, dear."


End file.
